Kerry calls on Iran to make 'hard choices' in nuclear talksNine days into marathon nuclear talks in Vienna, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry tells reporters, "We are not yet where we need to be on several of the most critical issues" • Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman concerned about rush to a deal.

New Evidence Links Fluoride to Increasing Cases of ADHD More water fluoridation = more ADHDPosted: 04 Jul 2015 09:00 PM PDTThe evidence from a new scientific research study shows that children who live in water districts where the water supply is systematically fluoridated suffer with ADHD at a significantly higher rate.

The "Nightmare Of The Euro-Architects" Is Coming True: JPM Now Sees Grexit, Eurogroup "Split In Coming Days"Posted: 04 Jul 2015 09:00 PM PDTPerhaps the best summary - or epitaph, some would say - of the shocking events that took place in Greece this afternoon, and the resultant falling dominoes that are about to be unleashed, was given by Slovakia's finance minister Peter Kazimir, who summarized events as follows:

Woman who died of measles WAS vaccinated: First patient to die of disease in U.S. for 12 years succumbed to disease because of other health problemsPosted: 04 Jul 2015 09:00 PM PDTThis is the 11th case of measles in Washington - and the sixth in Clallam County - this year, Moyer said. Measles is highly contagious and spreads when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. However, dying from it is extremely rare, Moyer said.

The Story Behind the Iconic Photo of the Man who Defied Hitler & the Nazis by Refusing to SalutePosted: 04 Jul 2015 09:00 PM PDTIn what can only be described as one of the most iconic photos of World War II, a lone man, August Landmesser, is seen refusing to be caught up in tha nationalistic Nazi fervor, as he stands with his arms crossed, stone faced, as the rest of the crowd engages in the mandatory “seig heil” salute. The salute, meaning hail victory, was an exhibition of loyalty to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party, and was mandatory for all German citizens.

Nine myths about the Greek crisisPosted: 04 Jul 2015 09:00 PM PDTThe citizens of Greece face a referendum Sunday that could decide the survival of their elected government and the fate of the country in the Eurozone and Europe. Narrowly, they’re voting on whether to accept or reject the terms dictated by their creditors last week. But what’s really at stake? The answers aren’t what you’d think. I have had a close view of the process, both from the US and Athens, after working for the past four years with Yanis Varoufakis, now the Greek finance minister. I’ve come to realize that there are many myths in circulation about this crisis; here are nine that Americans should see through.

Marine Le Pen, Anti Euro French Presidential Frontrunner, Applauds Greek Victory Over "EU Oligarchy"Posted: 04 Jul 2015 09:00 PM PDTTen days ago, before Varoufakis even announced his stunning break of negotiations with the Troika and proceeded to engage in a referendum which perhaps more symbolically than anything else just said a resounding "No" to the status quo, we said to Forget Grexit, "Madame Frexit" Says France Is Next: French Presidential Frontrunner Wants Out Of "Failed" Euro. Because while the ECB could at least in theory contain the Grexit fallout with a few hundred billion in bond (and stock, since Europe is pretty much fresh out of bonds it can monetize) purchases, it will not be able to halt the contagion once it spreads to Italy, Spain and Portugal. But once it reaches France, and Marine Le Pen engages in the same type of negotiations with the Troika as Greece just did, it's all over.

New Zealand makes cyberbullying a crimePosted: 04 Jul 2015 09:00 PM PDTThe legislation effectively prohibits sending messages to people that are racist, sexist, critical of their religion, sexuality or disability. The rest for determining harm will be if these communications were designed to cause “serious emotional distress,” and if a person is found guilty, could face up to two years in jail.

Wikileaks Exposes How TISA Will Gut Financial Regulations All Over the WorldPosted: 04 Jul 2015 09:00 PM PDTIt’s almost impossible to keep anything secret these days – not even the core text of a hyper-secret trade deal, the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA), which has spent the last two years taking shape behind the hermetically sealed doors of highly secure locations around the world. According to the agreement’s provisional text, the document is supposed to remain confidential and concealed from public view for at least five years after being signed! But now, thanks to WikiLeaks, it has seeped to the surface.

The Card System, Demystified, and Implications for Re-Introducing DrachmaPosted: 04 Jul 2015 09:00 PM PDTPerhaps the main reason well intentioned laypeople suggest what to them are obvious, simple solutions to implementing either a new drachma in Greece, or some sort of parallel running of both a new drachma and the euro, or a new cryptocurrency which somehow can be like a drachma or even both a euro and a drachma at the same time and so on (there’s been many other ideas proposed) which are nevertheless unfortunately completely impractical in terms of allowing a functional, reliable, robust, high volume payment system is that so much of the financial system’s complexity is transparent to the end user.

Cashless Society Coming to GermanyPosted: 04 Jul 2015 09:00 PM PDT

Greek Finance Minister Accuses Creditors Of TerrorismPosted: 04 Jul 2015 09:00 PM PDTGreek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis accused Athens' creditors of "terrorism" in an interview, a day before Greeks vote in a high-stakes referendum on the conditions of the country's bailout. "What they're doing with Greece has a name - terrorism," Varoufakis told the Spanish El Mundo daily on Saturday.

NSA’s Top Brazilian Political and Financial Targets Revealed by New WikiLeaks DisclosurePosted: 04 Jul 2015 09:00 PM PDTTop secret data from the National Security Agency, shared with The Intercept by WikiLeaks, reveals that the U.S. spy agency targeted the cellphones and other communications devices of more than a dozen top Brazilian political and financial officials, including the country’s president Dilma Rousseff, whose presidential plane’s telephone was on the list. President Rousseff just yesterday returned to Brazil after a trip to the U.S. that included a meeting with President Obama, a visit she had delayed for almost two years in anger over prior revelations of NSA spying on Brazil.

Monsanto Invests Billions In New Carcinogenic Herbicide To Replace RoundUpPosted: 04 Jul 2015 09:00 PM PDTIt was reported last week that Monsanto will be replacing their controversial herbicide RoundUp with another dangerous substance known as Dicamba. In a statement released last month, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced that glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide “RoundUp”, is “probably carcinogenic.”

Poll: 70 percent of Americans believe news media is intentionally biasedPosted: 04 Jul 2015 09:00 PM PDTThe 2015 State of the First Amendment Survey, conducted by the First Amendment Center and USA Today, was released Friday. It shows that only 24 percent of American adults agree with the statement that “overall, the news media tries to report the news without bias,” while 70 percent disagree.

Plunge Protection Team Activated: Panicked Chinese Government Imposes Desperate Measures to “Aggressively” Rescue a Lot More Than Just Crashing StocksPosted: 04 Jul 2015 09:00 PM PDTStock-market rescue measures, concocted by the government, have been hailing down for days, including an interest rate cut by the People’s Bank of China a week ago. But the collapse proceeded with brutal relentlessness. So now, Premier Li Keqiang pulled out all stops and the State Council is calling the shots in the market, the craziest, most desperate shots. From July 4 last year through June 12 this year, the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) soared 150%. It was the era when stocks would create unlimited wealth out of nothing in no time, when all comers, from street vendors to farmers, would get their government-promoted chance to get rich quick.

Civil Asset Forfeiture: Guilty Until Proven InnocentPosted: 04 Jul 2015 09:00 PM PDTImagine going back home one day to find an empty house and all your belongings gone; or even worse, imagine being in your house and having your door suddenly smashed open by law enforcement officers in masks and being told at gunpoint that your personal possessions are being taken away. It might sound like a trailer for the latest action film, but this is what happened to Annette Shattuck, a mother of four and a registered marijuana caregiver in Michigan. As she recently testified to the Michigan House of Representatives, her house was raided in 2014 while her 56-year old mother was taking care of her children. Everything from food, electronics, and vehicles to birth certificates, cash, and social security, insurance and public assistance cards was taken and has yet to be returned. As if this weren’t enough, she was left penniless due to a $1 million hold on all her bank accounts and has been unable to access the adoption subsidy for her special-needs son.